Author POV:

The sound of the car engine hummed faintly in the empty parking lot, mixing with the occasional murmur of distant traffic.Taehyung's knuckles became white as he gripped the steering wheel and gritted his jaw. He couldn't believe what he had just seen a moment ago.
He hit the steering wheel, which made it honk loudly in the empty parking lot. But his frustration didn't go; he punched in the air, grunting. Why is she letting him be so close to her? Taehyung punched more in the air as his mind replayed how closely Ki-joo was talking to her manager.

"Aish, really?" he mumbled between punches, as if he were hitting that cute bunny-smiled guy. "Why am I reacting like this now? Isn't that none of my business?" he asked himself, pausing in the middle of a fist.

"But she's my...Argh, Taehyung, you don't need to overreact about it." He repeated himself. This might be the nth time he had to deal with this, but the irritation and frustration never left him, no matter how hard he tried to hide it with his scrunched brows and clenched fists, a frown-kissed face, or the tight-lipped, forced smile he gave when they turned to him, only revealing how much he was struggling internally.

He told himself that it wasn't jealousy-it couldn't be.

His gaze shifted from the steering wheel to the front, and his almost drowning frustration crept up on him again; he tightened his jaw and began squeezing the steering wheel intensely, and he couldn't take it anymore. He'd had enough; no matter how hard he tried not to be upset, seeing someone so near to Ki-joo other than him was too much for him to take.

"Ki-joo-shi, you really made an amazing design," the manager replied, flashing a bunny smile. Ki-joo immediately suppressed her squeal at his lovely smile. She tucked her hair behind her ear, lowering her head slightly, and felt a redness rise up her cheeks. "Thank you, Manager Jeon," she replied.

Jungkook chuckled, closing his eyes slightly as his hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Ah, Ki-joo-shi, you are my senior, and please don't call me formally when we are out."
On the other side, Taehyung's eyebrows scrunched down, and he leaned over the steering wheel, placing his ear to hear the conversation.

Taehyung clicked his tongue in irritation, shaking his head at his own stupidity. "What am I even doing?" he mumbled, his tone laced with annoyance. He was seated in the car, but here he was, leaning closer to the window, as if he could hear their talk from a distance.

"Ah, seriously," Taehyung muttered, ruffling his hair in frustration. He leaned back onto his seat, arms crossed over his chest, staring ahead, but his eyes kept returning to the two people in the distance. "Why do I even care? She's just speaking to him. It is nothing."

"Um...ki-joo-shi..." Jungkook started hesitantly, unsure how to continue. Ki-joo waited for him to finish his sentence, his eye nervously darting here and there. "What is it that you want to say?" Ki-joo finally prompted, breaking the awkward silence. Jungkook took a deep breath before speaking. "Um...Would you like to join?

"Ki-joo!" Taehyung's voice rang out sharply, cutting through the air and startling both Ki-joo and Jungkook mid-conversation.

There is a tight smile on his lips as he approaches them, his eyes flickering between the two of them. "I think it's time we head back," Taehyung said, trying to be as soft as possible. "We have a lot to do before the sun sets," he added, leaning his head down to her face with a smirk and wrapping his hand around her shoulder.

A lot of things...what... Ki-joo couldn't understand the sudden change in Taehyung's demeanor. She looked over her shoulder, which was wrapped by Taehyung's big hand, and then at Taehyung, tilting her head with furrowed brows.

Jungkook understood the situation and cleared his throat, and his lips curled into a nervous smile. "I... I guess I get going now. See you later, Ki-joo-shi," he turned to Taehyung, who is staring at him with his blank eyes.

"See you, Taehyung hyung," he said, passing a smile before walking away, leaving Ki-joo alone with Taehyung. As Jungkook disappeared from view, Taehyung's smirk faded and his expression turned serious.

Ki-joon took it as a chance and elbowed Taehyung, causing a groan to escape his lips. "What was that all about?" Ki-joon asked, raising an eyebrow in her confused-to-irritated frown. "You show up out of nowhere, interrupt my conversation, and now you're acting like-like-"

"Like what?" Taehyung cut in, his voice low but sharp, his brows drawing together.

"Like a jealous boyfriend," Ki-joo snapped, her voice louder than she intended.

Taehyung blinked, caught off guard, but quickly masked it with a scoff. "Jealous? boyfriend?Me?" He tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a faint, boring smile. "Don't flatter yourself, Ki-joo. I just thought you'd need an excuse to get out of that awkward conversation."

Ki-joo's jaw dropped, her cheeks flushed with anger. "Awkward? It wasn't awkward until you showed up!"

Taehyung raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her reaction. "Really? Because it seemed pretty uncomfortable to me," he retorted, crossing his arms. Ki-joo huffed, rolling her eyes before turning on her heel and storming off, leaving Taehyung standing there with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Taehyung watched Ki-joo slam the car door with such force it made him wince slightly. His arms dropped to his sides, and he frowned, a twinge of guilt settling in. Is she mad at me? he thought, but the idea didn't feel right with him.

Still, a smug part of him felt victorious; internally, he clapped his hands, reminding himself, Wait, shouldn't I be the one who's irritated? He let out a frustrated groan, running a hand through his hair as he moved toward the driver's seat.

Taehyung slid into the seat and turned to Ki-joo, who was sitting stiffly with her arms crossed and her face turned away from him, toward the window. The silence between them was deep, broken only by the sound of the car engine.

"Are you seriously going to give me the silent treatment now?" Taehyung eventually asked, glancing at her.

Ki-joo did not move, her voice harsh as she whispered, "Drive, Taehyung."

"Seriously, you're mad at me?" Taehyung asked, his tone shifting between surprise and enjoyment as he looked at Ki-joo again.

Ki-joo's posture remained stiff, her arms tightly crossed as she stared out the window. "Just drive, Taehyung," she repeated, her voice colder than before.

Taehyung let out a low whistle and shook his head before returning his attention to the road. "Wow, you're really upset," he mumbled under his breath, loud enough for her to notice.

Ki-joo finally turned her head to face him, her eyes brimming with irritation. "Of course, I am upset! Do you realize how embarrassing that was?"

"Embarrassing?" Taehyung asked, pretending innocence while raising an eyebrow. "I was just trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" Ki-joo's voice rose, her irritation clear. "From what, exactly? Jungkook is my manager, not some creep from the street!"

Taehyung gripped his hands on the steering wheel, his jaw clenching. "You don't know people the way I do," he said calmly. "Not everyone is as nice as they seem."

Ki-joo flung her hands up in frustration. "And you think that gives you the right to barge in and act like... like some overprotective-ugh!" She let out a grunt and slumped back in her seat.

Taehyung's face kissed with a frown, side-eyeing her. "Overprotective what? Come on, say it," he said, almost raising his tone.

"Don't start with me, Taehyung," she said, pointing a finger at him. "You're lucky I don't make you pull this car over and walk home."

Taehyung pulled the car aside , his eyes narrowing at her in frustration. "Fine, go ahead," he said, his jaw clenched. Ki-joo gritted her teeth. "Fine , I will." She said loudly. As she opened the car door, Taehyung reached out to grab her arm, pulling her back.

He leaned so closely to her face that he had no idea how close they were. Ki-joo's breath caught as Taehyung's face was inches from hers, his hold tightly on her arm. She could feel the heat coming from his skin, and his presence made her heart skip a beat. She tried to ignore the flutter in her chest, but it was difficult.

"Why are you always so stubborn?" Taehyung repeated, his voice low, a mix of frustration and something else-something she couldn't quite pinpoint. His gaze locked on hers, and for a moment, the world outside the car seemed to vanish.

"I'm not," she said , her voice barely above a whisper. But the way Taehyung's eyes bore into hers made her doubt her own words.

Taehyung didn't back off. Instead, he leaned in a little closer, almost daring her to look away. "Yes, you are," his soft breath fanned against her cheek.

Ki-joo's heart raced, and her breath caught in her throat as the heat of his presence wrapped her. Taehyung's leaning in, so close yet not touching, made her feel trapped and strangely alive. Her mind screamed at her to pull away, to say something, anything, to reduce the tension between them, but all she could do was stare at him, frozen in place.

"You don't get it, do you?" Taehyung said, his voice softening to almost a quiet whisper. His gaze slid to her lips and back to her eyes, as if he was waiting for something.

Ki-joo's pulse raced, and everything around them disappeared. The only thing she could think about was his chest's steady rise and fall, the closeness of his breath, and how his presence seemed to fill the entire car.

His bow lips parted slightly as he spoke,If you wanted to know why..." his voice soft as a whisper but firm, "Then listen."

"I hated it, and I hate it when someone other than me tries to get so close with you, no matter how many times I tell myself that I shouldn't care, but it did not stop me from feeling this way."

Ki-joo's eyes widened and her breath caught as Taehyung's words fell on her. It was both familiar and new-the way he was always protective and possessive, something she had grown used to since they were kids. Yet it always feels new for her from time to time. Yet, this time, it felt different. His voice had an intensity she had never heard before, an openness that took her breath away.

Taehyung's gaze locked on hers, his dark eyes filled with emotions he couldn't hold back. "You've always been my Ki-joo," he said, his voice quivering slightly, "and maybe I became overly used to that thought. So when I see someone else getting close to you, something feels wrong."

For a moment, neither of them moved or spoke. The air between them was heavy with unspoken emotions, and the tension was clear. all she could do was stare at him, her heart thumping so loudly that she was certain he could hear it.

And then, almost imperceptibly, Taehyung pulled back, his expression guarded once more. "Let's go," he mumbled, his voice more steady now, but with an awkwardness that wasn't there before.

The moment shattered like glass as Ki-joo blinked. She nodded numbly, turning her gaze to the window as Taehyung started the car.

The next day they both pretended like nothing had happened. But the tension between them was palpable. Neither of them tried to speak up in the ride. Ki-joo turned her head from the window to Taehyung, who was staring straight ahead, with one of his hands on the steering wheel and the other resting on the window ledge.

Her eyes went from his face, which looked so calm as usual, to his hand, his long, slender fingers, the veins on the back of his hand prominent against his skin, which were shown as his pink shirt sleeve had been rolled up.

"Ki-joo," Taehyung said suddenly, his voice steady, his eyes never leaving the road. "Stop staring," he said, biting his smile. Ki-joo quickly turned her gaze back to the window, feeling a flush of embarrassment creep up her neck. She cleared her throat and said, "I-I am not staring at you," trying to maintain the snappy tone but failing with her stammering.

Taehyung let out a quiet chuckle, his lips curling into a sly smirk. "I didn't say you were staring at me."

Her mouth opened slightly as she processed his words, realizing she had walked straight into his trap. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, staring pointedly out of the window, trying to ignore the knowing glint in his eyes that she could feel, even without looking at him.

After a long pause, Ki-joo finally broke the silence, her voice laced with sarcasm. "If you drive this slow, we might as well pick her up tomorrow."

Taehyung raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips twitching upward. "Oh, so now you're concerned about my driving?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

She turned her head slightly, shooting him a pointed look. "I'm not concerned. I'm just stating the facts," she said, her voice laced with annoyance.

Taehyung smirked, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the steering wheel. "Facts, huh? Should I speed up then? Or are you too busy staring at my hands to notice how fast we're going?"

Ki-joo's jaw dropped at his comment. "I am not staring at your hands!" she shot back, her voice rising in protest.

"Sure, sure," he said nonchalantly, the smirk that never left his face, and Ki-joo wanted to punch him in that moment.
After like an hour they finally reached the actual destination, the airport. After a week that felt like a year to Taehyung of waiting for Taeyeon, the day finally arrived when he would finally see her again.

He is so happy to see his sister again, who he missed so much. Ki-joo scoffed at the idea of Taehyung being excited to see Taeyeon. It's just a week that she is out of town, and he already started to miss Taeyeon. She wondered if he would miss Ki-joo in the same amount if she were to leave.

"What are you waiting for? Should I pick you up in hands at the airport?" Taehyung asked Ki-joo, who rolled her eyes at Taehyung's dramatics, "I think I can manage to get to the airport on my own, thank you very much." Taehyung chuckled and said, "Just making sure you don't get lost like last time!"

"YAH! I wasn't lost at that time. It's that crowd," Ki-joo said from behind her, rolling her eyes. Yes, last time, Ki-joo almost lost herself in the crowd; if it weren't for Taehyung keeping an eye out for her, she would have been wandering around aimlessly for hours.

"Here," Taehyung said, extending his hand toward Ki-joo casually.

Ki-joo raised an eyebrow, her hands firmly on her hips. "What?" as her lips pouted out in confusion.

"To not get lost," Taehyung replied, his lips curling into a teasing smirk. "You know, like last time."

Ki-joo slapped his hand and walked forward as if she owned the place.Taehyung shook his head in amusement as he watched her. "You're walking in the wrong direction," he said, suppressing his laughter.

But he laughed out when she changed direction and bumped into a passenger carrying luggage. The passenger growled at her, and she quickly apologized before continuing on her way. Taehyung chuckled, following behind her to make sure she didn't cause any more trouble.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Jimin whined like a little kid, burying his face into Taeyeon's shoulder as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "I don't want to go," he mumbled, his voice muffled and his bottom lip sticking out in a pout, not caring about the rushing and running people around them.

Taeyeon glanced around at the bustling crowd of rushing travelers, a soft chuckle escaping her lips despite the tension knotting in her chest. Her hand hesitated for a moment before gently patting Jimin's back.

"You know we have to, Jimin," Taeyeon replied, her voice soft and comforting, while her hands fought off the urge to run through Jimin's long, silky blond hair. She started to call Jimin without any honorific like she used to.

"Now, if you allow me, I would go out first, so that we don't get caught by my brother," Taeyeon said as sweetly as possible. Jimin nodded, a small smile playing on his lips.

As Taeyeon made her way to the door, Jimin's eyes followed her, the smile on his face quite mixed with happiness that he finally had someone to love again but also a pinch of disappointment that he couldn't hold her hand and walk out together.

As Taeyeon stepped out of the airport, she turned back to see if Jimin was still there, and he wasn't there . She felt a pang of sadness but quickly reminded herself that they would see each other again at work.

"Taeyeon-ahh," Taehyung called out, causing her to turn around and see him running towards her with a bright smile on his face. "I missed you, my sister," he said, wrapping her in a warm hug, almost crushing her.

Ki-joo shook her head at Taehyung's dramatic actions. "Aish, Kim Taehyung, you are crushing my friend in your hug; let her go," she said, hitting Taehyung's shoulders.

Taeyeon giggled at Taehyung's hug and Ki-joo's actions, while Taehyung groaned and yanked Ki-joo's hand off his shoulder. "No, I missed her so much," Taehyung said with a pout, making Ki-joo sigh and shake her head in amusement.

"But I missed her too," Ki-joo said, joining in the hug, making them a tight-knit trio once again. Taeyeon smiled at their affection for her brother and her best friend.

Jimin, on the other hand, was watching them with a soft smile. He quickly pulled his phone out and clicked a picture of them. He looked at the picture, the smile widening at the boxy smiles of the siblings. "Cute," he muttered as he saved the photo to his camera roll.

"If your photo session is over, we can go." jimin heard the familiar voice behind his shoulder. As he turned back, he saw Namjoon standing in a cream sweater shirt and black jeans and black goggles.

Jimin quickly pocketed his phone and nodded. He turned his head in Taeyeon's direction for one last time before following Namjoon. "What's going on, hyung?" he asked as soon as he got in the car.

Namjoon sat next to Jimin. "Drive," he said to the driver in the front seat. After some silence, Namjoon parted his lips. "Your guess is right," he said, turning his attention to Jimin. His dragon darkened with seriousness, he pulled out his mobile and showed a picture to Jimin.

Jimin's eyes didn't even bulge at the picture of him and Taeyeon kissing on that night. "Who sent that?" jimin asked calmly.

"Minji," Namjoon replied.

Jimin let out a small scoff, not from disbelief-he had suspected something like this all along-but at the sheer audacity of Minji's actions. "How reckless," he muttered, shaking his head. "Who sends something like this directly to the CEO of the company? And from their personal email, no less?"

Namjoon's lips tightened into a thin line. "She tried to cover her tracks afterward," he said. "Deleted the email and sent it again anonymously, but it was too late. We already traced it back to her."

"I guess it's time to reveal that you are going to be a full-time artist in the company." namjoon added his tone never left the seriousness.

Jimin's lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "Should we?" he asked, tilting his head with a raised eyebrow.

Namjoon let out a long sigh and glanced out the car window at the passing surroundings. His eyes were piercing with determination as he turned back to face Jimin. "Yes, we should," he said forcefully. "Jimin, we can't keep putting this off. Rumors will spread more quickly if we wait. Didn't you see? She already sent me this." Namjoon pointed to his phone, which was still in Jimin's hands with the photo clearly visible. His voice grew softer but still sharp as he turned to face Jimin. "This must be stopped before it gets out of control."

Jimin nodded, his round eyes turning to the view outside of the car as his mischievous smirk dropped a little. His reflection stared back at him in the glass, a mix of thoughts and focus in his eyes. So the rumors haven't started yet, he thought to himself. He pressed his lips into a narrow line.

He turned back to Namjoon. "Alright, hyung. Let's do it. Let's make it official." His voice carried a quiet confidence that matched the situation.